'Courtiers' by Valentine Low

[RandomPenguinHouse]

Extracts of this were being discussed on a previous thread ('The Times) which just finished.

I'm interested in buying this book, despite never having ever bought any other book about the Royal Family and never having watched The Crown.

I'm interested however in the archaic rituals of the Royal Court and how it works as an employer, and also how the courtiers advise.

Yes the excerpts were focused on Harry and Meghan but presumably that's just for clicks given the relevant timing, and that the book goes well beyond that.

Poignant that in the synopsis for it on The Foyles website it says:

The Queen, after a remarkable 70 years of service, is entering the final seasons of her reign without her husband Philip to guide her. Meanwhile, Charles seeks to define what his future as King will be, with his court wielding ever greater influence as he plans for his imminent accession.

www.foyles.co.uk/witem/biography/courtiers,valentine-low-9781472290908

Anyone else thinking of buying this?

This thread is going crazy fast

Thanks for clearing up the Chimp thing, I was going to ask yesterday for someone to actually link to an article with it because I had no recollection of it.

The lying in court how stupid is she? We know they are liers because of so many things in the Oprah interview. Did nobody tell her about the boy who cried wolf?

H&M do enough to keep interest in them. If they went quiet so would the press. And we'd have nothing to talk about.

I don't believe the Charles and sink thing either. It just doesn't ring true unless the sink was ready to fall off because of rotten timbers that it was fixed too or something.

Someone made a comment about Charles school being chosen for him. I think it was Philip who wanted him to have the same experience as he did at Gordonston. Ann sent her kids to Gordonston too.

The book holds back. M fans should be grateful for that. It turns a blind eye to her worse behaviour. There is perhaps a legal justification for this. M's friends Justin & Sophie Trudeau doing the Bohemian Rhapsody (by QUEEN) karaoke at the hotel on the eve of the funeral was not just a coincidence. M has compared her experience of royal life to that song on several counts. She definitely socialised with them during the week of the funeral. It was calculated to be highly disrespectful. There is so much more, they are so protected, honestly.

That is just their “above the line” PR activities.

Add to that the media output generated from the $2,000,000 per year fee paid to Sunshine Sachs each year - which is below the line.

Add in the drip drip content released directly by Omid and Gayle King.

And of course the content of the book Funding Freedom on which they collaborated alongside all of the media headlines they generated to launch and market it.

As well as regularly issuing photos of themselves and their children.

Quite substantial proactive media output.

To go back to the book, I'm glad that the bullying allegations have finally seen the light of day. I felt bad for the staff who had (allegedly) been bullied when the palace's investigation into the affair was buried. I'm afraid when I heard that the report was never going to be published, I assumed that it was because the palace hadn't been shown in a great light by how they handled things on their end - and I still suspect that that's the case.

So I'm glad that this book has allowed those who were bullied by H&M to have their say and for the public to know what happened and I hope it brings them some closure. The pair of them sound utterly toxic from the details VL has published in the excerpts we've seen.

You mean early hours U.K. time? I wonder that too.

Not to mention Meghan's podcasts and speeches which are in itself a covert form of press release 😅 except that "you get paid for it" (millions literally) which she must be happy with

There is even a well known concept called "white fragility" that explores unconscious bias against black people, and the anger when this bias is challenged. This paragraph from, a review of the book White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo, is a perfect summary of what happens on Mumsnet when race is mentioned in relation to Meghan Markle:

I cannot believe that people are still quoting this repeatedly discredited woman and her ridiculous books. Robin DiAngelo is a disgustingly racist white woman who has made a fortune from relating her racist attitudes and telling other white people that they're racist too. Between 12-22k $$$ for every "seminar" she gives, not to mention her book profits. I wonder how much that WHITE contributes to the POC she makes her living from? Honestly I think if you relate to anything she writes in her book from her own personal viewpoint then yes, you're probably a racist yourself.

Nothing more than a white grifter making money off the backs of black people.

I assumed a flurry of posts past midnight 🕛 ( UK time ) was due to people from overseas ( Australia 🇦🇺,USA 🇺🇸 posting?
Can’t think of any other reason.

@DFOD

As well as regularly issuing photos of themselves and their children

I am sure if there were regular pictures of their children, they wold have been avidly discussed on Mumsnet, because this my recollection of the pictures of the children seen so far, and what the Mumsnet cacophony, I mean reaction, was.

1 picture of Archie in a sling with Meghan in Canada, who was hounded here for holding her baby wrong. They did not release this picture.
1 picture of Archie with Meghan in a green dress at a polo game, and Mumsnet hounded her for holding the baby wrong. They did not release this picture.
Footage and pictures of Archie in South Africa. They did not release these photos, they were part of official engagements.

1 video of Meghan reading to Archie, where she was hounded here for holding him wrong, and Archie was diagnosed as not being attached to her.
1 Christmas card, criticised here for Archie being too much in the foreground.
1 picture of Archie with Harry in Canada. The picture was not criticised on Mumsnet, the website that support mothers, because it was not Meghan holding Archie.
1 picture of Harry, Archie and a pregnant Meghan. Criticised for being pretentious and black and white, much comment made on their feet.
1 Christmas card of the four of them, criticised because the focus was apparently on Lili and not "poor Archie".
1 birthday picture of Lili, roundly criticised here because Lili was squinting into the sun and you could not see her legs.
1 Black and white picture of Lili at her birthday party in Meghan's arms criticised for being black and white.

@TheWheeledAvenger - just seen that this poster has been outed by MNHQ as a previously banned poster - does that mean all their posts are removed or just the most recent thread.

That’s a handy tally you have reported there - didn’t know there were so many !

I assumed they'd be overseas posters too.
Or maybe suffering from insomnia, although screen time supposed to be very unhelpful with that from what I've read.

is supposed etc

@MrsMaxDeWinter do you want to comment on the totality of the media output that I pointed - which was what the discussion was on - ie volume they of media they proactively produce ? Or are you happy to divert and derail with whataboutery?

@DFOD

Indeed a handy tally of just 7 pictures that they released themselves since Archie was born in 2019. Of those, only three have included Lili, born in 2021.

They really need to stop flooding Mumsnet with the these pictures! I can understand your outrage!

Where am I outraged about photos?

I am outraged about how they bully and abuse their staff.

Crikey what does it take to be banned?!

I’m interested in the level of protection anyone in public office gets, and how it works with employment laws. So if KC is atrocious, or H or M or anyone, how much are the employees under duress to not speak out or whistleblow? Must limit their chances of further employment or promotion (suppose same as any job). The reports are bad - interested in how H dodges being held to account in this. Same as “I couldn’t get my wife help” (…you are a grown man with financial resources and private healthcare we could only dream of?). He portrays himself as a helpless, powerless victim. How incredible for a white man with all the privilege you could have, and how incredible anyone falls for that. He does not lack resource, he lacks responsibility.

On accountability, desperately keen to have PA brought to justice. Again an instance where royals cannot be above the law. I have my own views on him I won’t repeat here but I know he is very unpopular with staff (for a fact) and now he doesn’t have QE to protect him….

The royals are people, their titles mean nothing to me other than a job title. The titles cannot bestow other protections (PA) or be seen as some indication of superiority. (Why I’m flummoxed as to why H and M use any titles at all… much like “call me Sir Keir” Starmer).

Accountability too for H in his past actions. Seem to be the only one who remembers him dressing as Hitler and separately using the “p” word, which was disgusting then and is now. No those were not different days. I am younger than H and it riles me no end he just breezed through that. Again, PR more powerful than justice.

Keen to see what else the book reveals. If the author had access to staff, there must be so much that can be said!!

@Puzzledandpissedoff i hope you are ok.

Dfod I must have missed that about WheeledAvenger

Lets do a tally of staff reduced to tears - 6 at least by the reports in the excerpts by their bully, harassment, belittling and screaming.

How is it acceptable to treat another human being in this way?

I do not have the direct access to Meghan and Harry's operation that you seem to, nor do I know what they generate. I speak to only what I have seen them do in their own words, the interviews ,the statements, the public events.

Just as I have no insight into how unhappy Harry is with his wife, as I do not have his confidence, nor when they will divorce, something you are more than happy to speculate about with alarming conviction, I have no insight into their "hidden media activities".

"The royals are people, their titles mean nothing to me other than a job title. The titles cannot bestow other protections (PA) or be seen as some indication of superiority. (Why I’m flummoxed as to why H and M use any titles at all… much like “call me Sir Keir” Starmer). "

Completely agree @Backstreetsbackalrightdadada
These titles should not be more than job titles.

Which is why I am also baffled about Mr and Mrs Harry Mountbatten Windsor calling themselves "the Duke" doing this and "the Duchess" doing that at their website. They are not working royals anymore, she's the titles and entitlement, they are just trying to profit on the association.

And again… if anyone in the family was racist, H has a duty in the public interest to say who that was. Don’t tittle tattle to Oprah, don’t tease it… tell us. I don’t care a jot “oh it’s family”. This isn’t content for books or interviews, this is serious and needs to be stated for the public interest. Seems obscene to leave that unresolved

*shed the titles and entitlement

Just as I have no insight into how unhappy Harry is with his wife, as I do not have his confidence, nor when they will divorce, something you are more than happy to speculate about with alarming conviction

You are wrong and smearing me.

I have never and would never do this.

Why would you keep titles? That should be true of any non-working royals. I know several people with titles (Lady, Lord), we don’t use them ever - not in saying hi, or writing to them. It’s a family thing, a bit like a name, but not used. It’s not a cultural thing, it’s a historic leftover and I do respect it and am interested in it for that. But it’s not an indication of anything at all. So why cling to it? Why do you want your children with titles? Anne has the right idea (love Anne.. seems unproblematic and hard working?).

Sir Keir did earn his… but weird to constantly use it! Like constantly putting “OBE” at the end of saying your name. Ok on correspondence but so silly calling him Sir Keir every time, way to seem a man of the people